Topic: Growth Stocks

Stock Pickers Digest Hotline – Friday, February 6, 2015

Article Excerpt

WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $31.15, symbol WJA on Toronto, reports that its earnings jumped 33.8% in the three months ended December 31, 2014, to a fourth-quarter record of $90.7 million from $67.8 million a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 34.6%, to $0.70 from $0.52, on fewer shares outstanding. That was well ahead of the consensus estimate of $0.28. This was WestJet’s 39th consecutive quarter of profitability. Revenue rose 7.3%, to $994.4 million from $926.4 million. Fuel makes up around a third of an airline’s operating costs, and WestJet continues to benefit as fuel prices drop along with oil prices. The company plans to keep its profits high by not cutting fares in response. It paid around $0.81 a litre for fuel in the latest quarter, down from $0.92 a year earlier. But prices will likely average $0.65 a litre—or less—in the 2015 first quarter. The company is returning some of its higher profits to shareholders: it has just raised its quarterly dividend by 16.7%…